The Train of the Dead

Chapter Five

"Teke Teke used to be a normal girl who lived in Japan," Kenji said, becoming completely serious. His face seemed to darken, and there was no hint of mirth like before. "Well, mostly normal. But she was always bullied and picked on by her classmates. They would call her names, tease her, trip her over..." He stopped grinning, a serious expression overtaking his face.

"Like you do with any newcomers?" Sakura griped, rolling her eyes. But Michael saw a flash of sadness in them.

Kenji ignored her. "One day, she was waiting for a train – and not just any train, but the shinkansen bullet train. Then, the school bullies came and started harassing her, as usual. She yelled for them to leave her alone, but they didn't listen. Instead, they pushed her over onto the train tracks – and tied her up there."

"That isn't what I heard," Riku spoke up. "I heard that they scared her with a bug, which made her fall onto the tracks in panic."

Kenji continued talking without even acknowledging him. Michael thought that he might not have even heard him. "What happened next ended her life." Michael's eyes widened in surprise. "The train came by – the shinkansen, moving at the speed of light. She yelled and screamed, but there was no stopping the bullet train. It ran right over her – and sliced her body in half."

Michael shuddered. The thought was a little unnerving to him, but probably only because he was currently on a train himself.

A grin returned over Kenji's face. "Now her ghost – or rather, the ghost of her upper body – haunts the train tracks, searching for any victims to subject to the same gruesome fate. She gets around by pushing herself forward with her arms, her lower body nowhere in sight. The sound her fingers make as they scrape against the ground is similar to Teke Teke."

Michael was silent for a moment. The story actually freaked him out. The thought of someone's body being sliced in half and then having to stay that way as a ghost disturbed him slightly. Especially since he was on a train currently.

But he knew it wasn't real. It was just a dumb legend.

Sakura whacked Kenji over the head. "Cut it out!" she hissed. "Can't you see how scared he is?"

"I'm not scared!" Michael protested. "I'm just a little surprised. That story was pretty spooky."

"Well, I didn't think so," Riku bragged. "I thought it was lame. It wasn't scary in the slightest. Besides, it's nothing compared to the true stories my parents told me. About real people being killed on this train, or mysteriously vanishing around the tracks..."

"Cut it out!" Michael protested.

"You scared?" Riku teased.

"No. My father told me the same thing," Michael replied. He had, just not as graphically.

"Those stories are true, too," Sakura added in her soft voice. "They're all victims of the Teke Teke."

Michael stared at her in surprise. She seemed completely serious. So did Kenji when telling the story. They didn't have a hint of mirth or playfulness in their faces now.

Riku laughed. "Great story, guys. I think my brother did a better job scaring me when he jumped out at me while I was in the bathroom."

"It's true!" Sakura insisted, glaring at him. Michael gulped. Did she really believe that story?

Just then, Mrs. Miyamoto exited the bathroom. She swung her handbag over her shoulder, placing her phone back inside. "Sorry I took so long, honey," she apologized. "My friend kept sending me texts and phone calls, and she wouldn't leave me alone until I replied to all of them."